Who will become the next Vice President after Jagdeep Dhankar’s resignation?
By Princy Kashyap
On Monday suddenly Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar resigned from his post citing health reasons, after which questions started arising as to who would become the next Vice-President.
Discussion about many names has also started on social media regarding the next Vice-President, some people are claiming that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar can be made the Vice-President while some people are claiming that BJP President J.P Nadda will be made the next Vice-President because he is going to step down from the post of BJP President soon. In such a situation, I will mention the names of those who are leading in the race for the post of Vice President and will also tell about the process of election of the Vice President.
The resignation of Jagdeep Dhankar came on the very first day of monsoon season and this resignation has also started the race for his successor. The NDA led by the ruling BJP has a majority. The NDA has a majority in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
After Dhankar resigns from the post of Vice President, elections for the appointment of his successor will have to be held as early as possible. According to Article 68(b) of the Indian Constitution, elections should be held as soon as possible to fill the vacant post caused by the death, resignation or removal of the Vice-President or for any other reason.
The person elected to fill the vacant post will be entitled to hold the post for five years from the date of assuming office. BJP has a large group of leaders to be elected to this post. Someone can be elected from among the Rajya Sabha members or experienced leaders of the organisation or a central minister.
Dhankar has also been the Governor of West Bengal before becoming the Vice-President. Dhankar’s predecessor was Venkaiah Naidu and he was also a minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party chose him as the Vice-President in 2017. Naidu has also been the President of the BJP. Janata Dal United (JDU) MP and Rajya Sabha Deputy Speaker Harivansh Narayan Singh is also being seen as a possible candidate as he has been working in this post since 2020 and he also enjoys the trust of the government. In such a situation, Harivansh Narayan Singh is being seen as the biggest rightful person.
Jagdeep Dhankar took oath as Vice-President in August 2022 and his tenure was till 2027. During his tenure, he was opposed several times and for the first time a Mahabhiyog proposal was also put against him, which was rejected by Rajya Sabha Deputy Speaker Harivansh Narayan Singh.
In March 2025, Dhankar was treated at AIIMS, Delhi and was also admitted in the hospital for a few days, although he is active in some public functions, but there are discussions about his condition from time to time, although after the resignation of Dhankar, the question is being raised that in this situation, who will have to perform all the duties of the Vice-President, although there is no mention of it in the matter, so now let me tell you what is the process of election of the Vice-President?
Actually, in the election of the Vice-President, only the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs take part. The Parliament of India also takes part in this election, whereas in the election of the President, the Lok Sabha MPs and the MLAs of all the states’ Legislative Assemblies also take part.
To contest the election of the Vice-President, it is necessary to be a citizen of India, his age should be more than 35 years and he must fulfil all the eligibility criteria to be elected as a Member of Rajya Sabha. The candidate contesting for the post of vice-president has to deposit 15 thousand rupees as security amount, this amount is forfeited in case he loses the election or does not get 1/6th of the votes. In this election, along with 245 members of Rajya Sabha and 543 members of Lok Sabha, 12 member MPs of Rajya Sabha also participate in it and in this way the complete process of electing the vice-president is completed.